Vegan Chocolate Spread

This was an accidental creation. I was actually trying to make a vegan chocolate frosting or dairy-free faux buttercream. I’ve had a re think about this faux buttercream and it’s on my (ever growing) list of things I want to try and make. I didn’t want to just use a dairy free margarine – like anything in my life it would seem, I have to make things more difficult for myself. That, or I just like playing with alternative ingredients and making them work. They don’t always, but sometimes, sometimes, they do. And the sense of accomplishment from that, for me, is like no other.

The first ingredient? Tofu. Yep. That bland, stereotypically vegan ingredient that over the years has gotten a terrible reputation for being exactly that: bland. But here, it works to it’s advantage. It gives a dairy free, lower calorie, lower fat, higher protein and oil free base to chuck whatever flavour at that your heart desires.

About the consistency: the spread will turn to a spoonable-thick consistency at first, but in a couple of hours it will thicken a lot to a consistency so that you can turn the bowl upside down with no risk of it falling out. It will thicken to the consistency shown in the image on refrigeration. It should keep for at least 4 weeks due to the sugar content acting as a natural preservative…if you can make it last that long that is.

Ingredients:

150g silken tofu

200g icing sugar

150g peanut butter

50g cocoa powder

Directions:

Place the tofu and icing sugar in a bowl and use a hand blender to blend until smooth.

Add the peanut butter and use an electric hand mixer to beat together, followed by the cocoa powder.